• Newsletter: Third Sunday of Lent
  • Newsletter: Third Sunday of Lent
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Newsletter: Third Sunday of Lent

8th March 2026

Newsletter: Third Sunday of Lent

8th March 2026

17.30 VIGIL MASS
Confession after Mass

9.00 MASS
Confession after Mass
10.30 MASS (& Coffee)
Confession after Mass
 12.00 Baptisms

09.30 Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament
10.00 Mass
10.30 Coffee Morning

12.30 Funeral Service: Peter Gaskell, Radcliffe Crematorium
18.00 Stations of the Cross and Benediction
19.00 Mass

09.30 Public Rosary
10.00 Mass
19.00 Lenten Station Mass, St. Michael’s, M45 8NN

08.00 Early Mass
13.00 Funeral Service: Koloman Suha, Agecroft Crematorium

17.30 VIGIL MASS
Confession after Mass

09.00 MASS
Confession after Mass

10.30 MASS (& Coffee)
Confession after Mass

 

OFFICE HOURS
Wednesday 9am-3pm
Friday 9am-3pm

CHANGE OF TIME

Please note a change of time to Stations of the Cross and Benediction this week.

UCM

The next UCM meeting will take place on Wednesday 12th March at 7pm, including the AGM.

THANK YOU

Thank you to all who donated Gifts for the Second Chance Raffle. Thanks to Steph and Chris Watson for their help in wrapping and displaying the gifts. Your generosity raised £276 for Church Funds. The Raffle has now been drawn. Please check your tickets and collect your prize. Ticket numbers are displayed on the noticeboard in the Atrium.

ST. PATRICK’S EVENING

St. Patrick’s evening, Friday 27th March, to be held at St. Mary’s Social Club Pine Street, from 7.30pm.Tickets will be £5 per person, to include a pasty supper, and live music. If you would like to attend, please add your name to the list on the table in the Atrium.

Please can we have all ticket money by 15th March, so that tickets can be distributed the following weekend. Entrance is by ticket only!

SAFEGUARDING REMINDER

For the safety and wellbeing of all our children, we kindly ask that parents and carers accompany their child if they need to leave Mass for any reason (for example, to use the toilet). Please remember that the Church doors remain open during Mass, and therefore children should not leave the building unaccompanied. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation in helping us keep everyone safe.

CONFIRMATION

Is your child in year 8 or above and attends St. Monica’s or St. Gabriel’s and has completed their Confirmation Catechesis with Sr. Linda. Your form needs to be handed in to Fr. Brady or the parish office as soon as possible. If you do not attend either school, and are in Year 8 or above, and have made your First Holy Communion and would like to be Confirmed please speak to Fr. Brady after Mass.

LENTEN STATION MASSES

Lent is a journey, from Ashes to the Font at Easter. Along the way an ancient tradition of the Church is to stop at “stations” : in our Deanery we will be calling at five different “stations”-four Churches and a Sixth Form College-to celebrate Mass together as we journey through Lent. Everyone is very welcome!

Thursday 12th March – Saint Michael, Whitefield, M45 8NN
Thursday 19th March – Sacred Heart, Rochdale OL16 5BX
Thursday 26th March – Saint Vincent, Norden OL12 7QL

LENTEN TALKS: SCHOOL OF PRAYER

During Lent, a series of talks and prayerful reflections will be taking place every Tuesday from 10.00am to 12.30pm, led by Mgr. Paul Sith, Sr. Joan Kerley and Maria Kidd. These will be held at Our Lady and Lancashire Martyrs Church, from 17th February to 24th March, and light refreshments will be served. For more information on how to book your place, please visit the diocesan website: click here >

LOURDES DIOCESAN YOUTH GROUP

Are you a young person looking to take part in a pilgrimage this year? Do you want to make new friends, build community and grow in your faith? Why not join the Diocesan Pilgrimage to Lourdes. It’s simple to sign up and you can join a new ‘group’ led by the Diocesan Youth Department. The pilgrimage and travel dates are 29th July to 6th August. The cost is £695 and this includes coach travel and full board hotel accommodation (Astoria Hotel). You can join in 3 age groups 13-15(aspiring volunteers), 16-17 and 18+. If you are interested, please email: click here > for details of how to register.

DISCOVER THE TREASURE MEETING

Tuesday 24th March in the Atrium.
6.30pm – 8.30pm.
Light refreshments served
6.30pm – 7pm.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

‘Return to me with all your heart, with fasting, weeping and mourning.’
Joel 2:12

STAY WITH US, LORD, ON OUR JOURNEY

Lenten Programme 2026

THIS WEEK’S GOSPEL

In this lively dialogue Jesus almost seems to be teasing the Samaritan woman, deliberately leading her into misunderstanding about what he means by living water or about the conditions of worship.

Nothing daunted, she gives as good as she gets, replying with a cheeky series of sarcastic questions, gradually edging nearer to the truth: an open-minded Jew – greater than our father Jacob – a prophet – and finally acknowledging him as the Messiah.

With its serious message it is a lovely example of Jesus’ willingness to engage with people as they are, and of his openness with women.

On these last three Sundays of Lent before Palm Sunday in Cycle A, the Church lays before us the three great symbols of the baptisms which will be celebrated at Easter.

This concerns not only those who will be baptised at the Easter Vigil, but all those who are invited to renew our baptismal promise and commitment at Easter.

By so doing we enter afresh into the living and nourishing water of God’s love which surpasses any food or drink (the teaching given to the Samaritan woman), into the light which enlightens the blind (the Cure of the Man Born Blind) and true life (the Raising of Lazarus).

BAPTISMS Please see Fr. Brady after Mass if you would like your child to be baptised. A baptismal certificate for one of the parents must be provided as evidence of baptism in a Roman Catholic Church before a baptism date can be given. We welcome parents and children and by attending Masses at the weekend on Saturday at 5.30pm, Sunday at 9.00am or 10.00am which fulfil the Sunday obligation. All Catholics are OBLIGED to celebrate Mass on EVERY Sunday.

BAPTISM CERTIFICATE COPIES REQUESTS For those requesting copies of baptism certificate the office can be contacted initially and the certificate can be collected at any of the weekend Masses. This is also to encourage people to come to Mass.

SICK AND HOUSEBOUND If you know of anybody who would like Fr Brady to visit, could you please give him their name and address with postcode and a contact telephone number. Thank you.

MASS INTENTIONS, OUR LADY’S LAMP AND THE SANCTUARY LAMP  The practice of requesting a Mass to be offered for loved ones, living or deceased, is a beautiful and wonderful part of our Catholic Tradition. Continuing this long-standing practice, you can remember someone who has died recently or many years ago. The Mass can also make beautiful gifts for any special occasion: birthdays, anniversaries, in thanksgiving for a prayer answered etc. You can offer an intention for anybody who is struggling with a serious illness or other difficulties of life. There are Mass Intention Envelopes provided on the table in the Atrium. (Please ensure that you have the express consent of the sick or housebound person as the bulletin is posted on the parish website, therefore making that information available to the public at large. Please provide a contact number with Mass Intentions so that any discrepancies can be resolved. Our Lady’s Lamp and Sanctuary Lamp are £5.00 and burn for seven days. Please place any intentions in an envelope with your donation and give to Father Brady or place in the Mass offering Box in the Atrium. All newsletter items must be sent in by Thursday morning.

MASSES AND PRAYERS RECEIVED THIS WEEK

Lately Dead
Bernard Heys, Mike Conlon, Joyce Creagh, Peter Gaskell, Koloman Suha, Neville Cottam.

Anniversary
Helen Munro, Teresa Molyneux, Larry Dilger.

Birthday Memories
Patrick Gracey, Michael Lowe, Kathleen Fulton, Marcella Currier, William Henry Sherman.

Sick
Andy Watson, Noel Moore, Paul Moore, Francis Loughran, Brian Hay, Kathy Spencer, Cara Heather, Raymond Gracey, Bernard Cox.

Lenten Masses
Masses for the repose of the soul of Elizabeth Livesey,
Albert Livesey, John Mc Glynn, Anne McGlynn,
Barbara McCann, Holy Souls in Purgatory.

Other
For a Special Intention for All Holy Souls in Purgatory
(Throughout March), Thanksgiving Intentions,
Special Intention for Nuala Keane, Special Intention for Amanda Sherman, Baby Mark Kavanagh R.I.P.

This week, the Sanctuary Lamp burns for:

Prayers Answered.

This week, Our Lady’s Lamp burns for:

Mike Conlon.

The Vatican

Please click on the red ‘Play’ button to watch Vatican Media Live.

Lourdes TV

Please click on the red ‘Play’ button to watch Lourdes TV.

Newsletter: Easter Sunday

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2 April 2026/by U53r1

Newsletter: Palm Sunday

"Palm Sunday 2026"
27 March 2026/by U53r1

Newsletter: Fifth Sunday of Lent

"22nd March 2026"
20 March 2026/by U53r1

Newsletter: Fourth Sunday of Lent

"15th March 2026"
13 March 2026/by U53r1

Newsletter: Third Sunday of Lent

"8th March 2026"
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Newsletter: Second Sunday of Lent

"1st March 2026"
28 February 2026/by U53r1
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